1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of footwear, and to the particular field of foot protection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Millions of professional tradesmen, including brick layers, carpenters and electricians, are required to wear steel toe shoes on a job site. These shoes prevent one""s feet from being seriously injured in the event a heavy object, such as a power tool or beam or the like falls onto the worker""s foot.
Therefore, there is a need for a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot.
Accordingly, the art contains many examples of workshoes that have some form of protection for the worker""s foot. These examples usually include some form of protection on the shoe, such as a plate or the like. However, comfort is one consideration for any shoe, including a safety shoe. If the shoe is uncomfortable, the worker will not wear it and it can do him or her no good. Therefore, some disclosures in the art are directed to comfortable shoes that will also protect the worker""s foot. Since plates can be heavy and thus will add weight to a shoe, and a heavy shoe is not as comfortable as a light one, one solution to this problem is to protect only the portion of the worker""s foot that is most in danger while leaving the remaining portion of the foot unprotected. In this manner, the shoe can be as light as possible since only a portion of the shoe will be reinforced.
However, even these solutions have drawbacks because steel plates do not allow full circulation of air through the shoe and the shoe may become hot after a lengthy period of wear. This makes the shoe uncomfortable.
Therefore, there is a need for a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot, yet will be as comfortable as possible.
Still another drawback to presently available reinforced work shoes is that they are not versatile. That is, once purchased, the worker is restricted to the particular shoe. However, many workers want a variety of shoes that permit him or her to wear different shoes depending on his or her needs and/or desires.
Accordingly there is a need for a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot yet is versatile.
Still further, many workers feel most comfortable in shoes that are known as running shoes. A running shoe is often a flexible soft shoe having a canvas-type vamp, a canvas-type upper and the like. However, at the present time, it is not possible to wear such shoes in a workplace environment that requires foot protection.
Therefore, there is a need for a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot while permitting the worker to wear footwear of his or her choice.
There is still a further need for a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot while permitting a worker to wear so-called running shoes.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot.
It is another object of the invention to provide a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot, yet will be as comfortable as possible.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot yet is versatile.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a workshoe that can adequately protect a worker""s foot in the event a heavy object falls on the worker""s foot while permitting the worker to wear footwear of his or her choice.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a protective toe plate that can be easily inserted into a running-type shoe yet will not irritate the worker""s foot and can be removed for insertion into another shoe.
By being amenable for use in running-type shoes, the protective toe plate of the present invention allows the worker to wear comfortable shoes yet have his feet efficiently protected. This will increase the comfort for the worker and allow him or her to have more energy and increase work efficiency. Worker stamina is also increased because the feet are comfortable. Furthermore, morale is increased because the worker can select the shoes that are most desired at the time.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a running shoe is a shoe that includes a lightweight construction, often of a canvas-type material and can be of the type that runners, joggers or walkers use. It can also be known as a tennis shoe.
More specifically, the toe plate of the present invention includes a one-piece steel U-shaped element that has a central section that fits over a wearer""s toes when the element is in place inside a toe box of a shoe and has two wings, with one wing being located on the central section to be interposed between a wearer""s big toe and one side of the shoe and the other wing being located to be interposed between a wearer""s little toe and the other side of the shoe when the toe plate is in position over a wearer""s toes inside the toe box of a shoe. The wings are tapered from the central section so the toe plate can be easily inserted into and removed from a shoe and so the wings will not rub the wearer""s foot when in use. The toe plate also can include covers and cushions for further ensuring comfort.
The toe plate can be easily inserted into and/or removed from a soft shoe such as a running shoe or walking shoe.
More specifically, the footwear construction of the present invention includes athletic shoes, either designed for running or for walking. The shoe could be comprised of canvas, nylon mesh, or leather or from a combination of these materials. The canvas can be of any suitable type, including warp, weft, map canvas, diamond twill canvas, scrip tip canvas, or the like. Each shoe can be produced with a sole arch support as well as an ankle support pad. The shoe can be equipped with a thick rubber sole, designed to absorb a great deal of friction. The rubber compound adds increased slip resistance. The front of the shoe will include a U-shaped toe protector which can include suitable covers and/or cushions to prevent contact between the user""s foot and a steel plate of the toe protector. The shoe can contain a molded EVA cushioned midsole with a midsole wedge MS (see FIG. 6) that will provide excellent shock absorption. A geranium in-sole can reduce bacteria and the shoe can contain polyurethane foam that is soft, flexible and will provide thermal insulation to protect workers that are exposed to cold weather. The footwear can also contain latex products that focus on lightness.
The footwear can be produced in a wide variety of sizes including both men""s and women""s sizes and both men""s and women""s styles thereby allowing the footwear to be worn by a wide variety of consumers. The footwear is lightweight and versatile as well as comfortable and is amenable to displaying suitable logos and designs thereby further increasing the versatility thereof.